Hot Water and Lavender
by surena-13
Summary: Carol and Daryl take their first shower in months after they've arrived at a safe zone.


"Oh my god," Carol moaned, running her hands through her hair as she slowly tipped her head back. This was heaven, absolute and utter heaven. She could barely remember the last time she had felt this, hot, clean water beating down on her body, washing away all the sweat and grime that quick wipes with torn rags dipped in semi-clean water couldn't even attempt to get rid of.

"Jesus, god almighty," she muttered. A shower, an honest to god hot shower. There was even a soap and shampoo. For the first time in months, she would be clean. She would not smell like death and decay and dirt. She was going to smell like lavender apparently, if the bottle was anything to go by. Like lavender and like herself. Carol smiled, still not quite able to believe that she was actually standing underneath a working shower. It was amazing, the little things one started to enjoy once the living dead took over the world.

"Daryl," she called out, knowing that he was probably nearby. They were sharing the bedroom with its adjoining bathroom and ever since what happened in Atlanta all those month ago, he was never far away from her. She wasn't disappointed when a mere second later, his head appeared round the corner.

"What?"

"Join me before I finish all the hot water." They only had a limited amount of hot water for every room in the safe zone or so they had been told when they had arrived, right before they had all been shown to their rooms.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll wait." Carol snorted and rolled her eyes. He was going to wait a long time then, considering she was going to be standing there until the hot water ran out. It wasn't often anymore that she had a luxury like this. She was going to enjoy it while it lasted. In this world, all good things came to an end sooner or later. Living in the moment was what was important now.

"Get in here, you big idiot. If you're worried about being naked, I've seen it all before and I did more than just see, if you recall." She grinned when she saw his cheeks turn red. He was adorable sometimes. They had changed clothes in front of each other countless times, they had had sex more than a few times, also something that developed after Atlanta, and yet when she mentioned it, he blushed, like an insecure boy. It was cute.

Luckily that didn't stop him from stripping naked, his torn and dirty clothes landing in a crumpled head next to hers. She vowed to burn it all after they were both clean, all except for his leather vest and her boots. The rest was way beyond salvageable. Carol held aside the shower curtain for him and watched as he entered the shower.

The second the stream hit his body, the water circling the drain turned a murky brown color. Carol bit back a giggle. They were all so disgusting, they had barely even noticed it anymore. It wasn't until all the dirt washed away that it became obvious just how gross they all had been. It was a wonder the safe zone had even taken them in. It was going to be so strange to see the group all washed up and clean again.

Wordlessly, Carol grabbed the soap and a washcloth and made a move to properly clean herself when Daryl stopped her, his small smile almost shy as he took the cloth from her and started running it over her shoulders and collarbone. He was so gentle with her, so very careful as he washed her. It felt so intimate, looking up at him as he removed the last traces of dirt and dried blood from her skin, almost more intimate than when she had had him naked between her legs. Almost.

Smiling, Carol raised herself up on her toes and pressed a soft a kiss to his lips and sighed in content when he returned the kiss, wrapping his arm around her as he ran the washcloth down her back. She'd be happy to stay like this for a long time, in his arms, with the warm water beating down on their bodies. With regret she broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his.

How long had it been since they had a moment like this, completely for themselves, knowing that no one would interrupt them, that if there were walkers, someone else would deal with them, when they hadn't been on the run? Their relationship had never known a proper moment of peace and quiet. It was going to take some getting used to, but if she were completely honest with herself, Carol couldn't wait.

"While I would love to continue this, we should probably get clean before the water gets cold," she said quietly, giving him one quick kiss before stepping back a little. They would have the whole night and then some for themselves. She would like to use this time to get clean, just so for the first time in months she wouldn't have to wonder what was dirt and what were freckles.

"Are you saying that you prefer a hot shower over me?" Daryl asked teasingly as he continued washing her, almost meticulously running the cloth over her body, not even blinking when he ran it over her breasts, though she could have sworn that she saw a flicker of desire in his eyes. Later. Later they would have time for that.

"Absolutely," she deadpanned, getting a low chuckled from him in return before he knelt down to wash her legs and feet. Carol couldn't resist running a hand through his hair, grimacing just a little when it still felt greasy to the touch. She didn't even want to know how long it had been since his hair had been even in the vicinity of a shampoo bottle. "Now hurry up. I definitely need to wash your hair."

Daryl looked up at her with a frown, almost as if she had just insulted him. It was oddly endearing to have a man in his forties be that protective of his hair even after the world had ended. Carol, however, was persistent. "If you won't let me cut, you're going to at least let me wash it. It's disgusting, Daryl. I have the feeling it's been years since I saw your actual hair color. Besides, I think lavender will suit you."

"Stop," he grumbled under his breath. It had become their thing now. Before the world ended, people had songs or certain places or maybe a certain meal. They had his little catchphrase. It had slowly become an inside joke of sorts and Carol couldn't help but smile every time he used it. It was a small reminder that they could still have happy things in a world set on taking everything from them.

"Never, pookie."


End file.
